Top 5 things that used to be common that just seem weird now

Life is constantly changing and it’s easy to forget about a few slices of life that were commonplace not too long ago. Looking back at some of these items, though, they seem pretty strange.

With that in mind, here are the Top 5 Things That Used To Be Common That Just Seem Weird Now.

First a few honorable mentions:

That Convoy song – “Convoy,” by C.W. McCall was a No. 1 hit on the country and pop music charts in 1975, and it was the coolest thing ever at the time. The song was even the inspiration for a 1978 movie! Unfortunately, if you listen to “Convoy” now, it sounds pretty bizarre, especially the high-pitched melody, and the whole things seems crazy. I would like to see Bruno Mars remake it to see how he gives it a 2017 feel.

Songs based on CB conversations – “Convoy” was just one of several hit songs based on CBs. This just seems odd to think about now, but I suppose it would be like if we had hit songs based on texting conversations today. “BRB Rubber Ducky. IMHO we’ll crash the G8 2nite doing 98, saying Let Them Truckers Roll 10-4 and TTLY.”

Movies based on hit songs – Convoy wasn’t the only song that led to a movie. Kenny Rogers spurred a string of TV movies inspired by his songs such as ‘The Gambler” and “Coward of The County.” Five television movies were based on “The Gambler.” Five movies! I wonder if Kenny counted all of that movie money when he was sitting at the table. Other songs such as “Harper Valley PTA,” “Take This Job and Shove It,” and “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia,” were all turned into movies, along with many others. I am honestly surprised this does not happen as much anymore.

5. Hidden gas tanks – I had a car with a gas tank that was hidden behind the license plate and I thought it was the best idea ever. If I filled up the tank, I looked around to make sure no one was watching me, and then suavely pulled back the license plate and filled up the car with either leaded or unleaded gas. (No one knew what unleaded or leaded gas was, we just knew which one to put in our cars). It was great! Of course, it was also kind of stupid. Was the idea to hide the tank so that someone wouldn’t steal the gas? I doubt it tricked many gas stealers. “We better give up boys, this car doesn’t have a gas tank.” Was it to just make my boat of a car that got about 12 miles to the gallon more aerodynamic? I prefer gas tanks today that lock and I wonder why they didn’t think of that earlier.

4. Writing checks all the time and balancing checkbooks –It was awesome when you were first able to write checks, but then you had to balance the checkbook or you had no idea how much money you had in the bank. It was a huge pain that I was always behind on, but it was a normal part of adulthood. You carried your checkbook to the grocery store and lots of places because you needed checks all of the time. I had a friend who would write checks for gum at the grocery store partially just so he could get cash back. He wrote checks for gum! Now, I almost feel mad if I have to use a check. I prefer to always use debit cards, even for gum, and I never have to balance any checkbook ever. I hate checks! Actually, I only hate writing checks. I am quite fond of receiving checks.

3. People smoking everywhere – It wasn’t long ago that people were smoking nearly everywhere and it was advertised widely. Everyone on television was smoking and even doctors were smoking! Most restaurants had smoking and non-smoking sections, and if you went into a bar, your clothes and hair smelled like smoke when you left. Today if someone is smoking on the sidewalk across the street from me, it seems like the person is committing a crime.

2. Shorts that were way too short– In the 1970s and 1980s, if you wanted to wear shorts, you could only wear shorts that were about three inches long. They were terrible. As if I wasn’t geeky enough growing up, I had to wear school gym shorts that were super short along with my striped tube socks pulled up to my knees. Why were these shorts popular for so long? How did no one suggest making the shorts longer? What was wrong with everyone? Why was life designed to make me extra geeky?

1. Time and Temperature – Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, and in several decades before that, if you weren’t sure what time it was or what the weather was like outside, you just called the local “Time and Temperature” number to listen to a mysterious robot that told you the exact time and temperature. It was good for setting your clocks after a power outage or finding out the temperature if you were too lazy to just go outside. I suppose it was helpful just to know the exact temperature, but I don’t now why.

For some strange reason, banks and other places often sponsored these numbers. We all called them just to find out what time it was, sometimes just because we were bored, and it seemed very normal. Today, everyone has their time and temperature on their phones, computers and often even on television, so the idea of calling a bank to find out what time it is seems pretty odd.

What’s even stranger is that time and temperature is still around in many places! I had no idea about this until I started writing this but there are still local numbers you can call for the time and temperature for some unknown reason. Here is an article with more information if you are interested. And if you want to know any more about the time, temperature or movies based on songs based on CB conversations, just comment below. Thanks.

2 thoughts on “Top 5 things that used to be common that just seem weird now”

Awesome post! I remember ALL of these things (I know I just dated myself). And you’re right … they seemed so normal at the time. I remember on the hidden gas caps trying to hold down my license plate (which had a very strong spring on it), unscrew the gas cap, while holding the gas pump handle in my other hand (because I always forgot to open the gas tank first). It was a wonder I didn’t blow up the entire gas station with some errant spark. And yes, while I was doing that, I was probably wearing incredibly short shorts (cutoff jeans in which the legs slowly disintegrated to just this side of illegal). Ah, good times! Thanks for the great post.